Computer generated aircraft displays have become highly sophisticated and are capable of displaying a substantial amount of flight management, navigation and control information, which gives flight crews more effective control of their aircraft and helps to reduce their workload. In this regard, electronic displays, such as Heads-Up Displays (HUDs) and Heads-Down Displays (HDDs), are used in aircraft as Primary Flight Displays to display important flight management, navigation and control information to flight crews.
Primary Flight Displays are computer-generated displays that provide flight crews with real-time visual representations of the operational states of their aircraft during flights. For example, the Primary Flight Display can combine critical flight instrumentation (e.g., altitude, attitude, heading, airspeed, vertical speed instruments) and primary engine instrument indicators into a single, readily interpretable display. As a result, Primary Flight Displays have become effective visual tools for controlling aircraft, reducing pilot workload, increasing situational awareness, and improving overall flight safety.
Certain flight information displayed on Primary Flight Displays, particularly navigation information such as waypoints, is important for maintaining proper aircraft safety and control. However, other displayed symbology, such as the aircraft's current pitch, heading, flight path, and target information, may be displayed on or around the waypoints to clutter or obscure these portions of the Primary Flight Display. This is particularly an issue when the aircraft is at a relatively great distance from the waypoints.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide systems and methods that increase the visibility of certain flight information on a visual display, such as, for example, a Primary Flight Display, similar electronic aircraft displays, and other types of electronic displays. Particularly, it is desirable to provide systems and methods for increasing the visibility of waypoints on the display. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the invention and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the invention.